Sustainability and the 2030 Agenda within schools: A study of school principals’ engagement and perceptions

Abstract

This study explores school principals’ perceptions and sustainability actions held in schools, the perceived role of the management team and the role of technology in facilitating change processes towards embedding sustainability and 2030 Agenda. This study was conceived as an exploratory qualitative research, where thirty-six primary and secondary school principals from the Catalan region in Spain responded to an open-ended questionnaire. In general, school principals showed commitment towards embedding sustainability education, however different views and understandings of sustainability and diverse levels of engagement and action were evidenced between schools. A number of constraining factors persist such as staff and students’ engagement, lack of resources, governmental support and an overcrowded curriculum, while technology, community projects and school initiatives that engage students in decision-making processes are identified as clear enablers. Effective frameworks and professional development programmes are needed that help develop sustainability competencies amongst school principals and help operationalise sustainability education leadership within schools.